The fifth volume of "The Complete Works of Edgar Allen Poe." Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was an American author, editor, poet, and critic. Most famous for his stories of mystery and horror, he was one of the first American short story writers, and is widely considered to be the inventor of the detective fiction genre. The tales contained within this volume include: "The Mystery of Marie Roget," "The Pit and the Pendulum," "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Gold-Bug," "The Black Cat," "The Spectacles," "Diddling," "A Tale of the Ragged Mountains," "The Balloon-Hoax," "Mesmeric Revelation," "The Premature Burial," and "The Oblong Box." Many antiquarian books such as this are becoming increasingly rare and expensive. We are republishing this book now in an affordable, high-quality edition complete with a specially commissioned new biography of the author.